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Thursday, June 21, 2018

Tarot Card of the Month: The Chariot

The Tarot Card for June is the Chariot. The Chariot is the Seventh of the Major Arcana in Tarot card decks. The Chariot symbolizes the Moon, the element Earth, the Zodiacal sign of Cancer, and associated with the archangel Gabriel whose name means “God is my Strength.”

The Chariot represents forward movement, success, overcoming obstacles, and traveling. The Chariot is associated with a triumphant victory as well as a departure from traditional ideas. It should also be remembered that it is very little you can do to stop the onward motion of the chariot.

The card depicts an armor-clad male figure standing in a chariot. The man has a yellow crescent moon with a blue face on each shoulder, a square on his breastplate, alchemical symbols on his garments, stars in the crown upon his head, and carrying a wand. A canopy supported by four pillars with a veil that is light blue and covered in white stars. The chariot is cube-shaped and has a winged shield on the front. The chariot is being drawn by two sphinxes: one is black and one is white.

Being clad in armor represents the Charioteer's preparedness to work for results. The moons symbolize new beginnings. The cube shape of the chariot is to represent stability and perfection of work. The crown of stars represents that the Charioteer is enlightened while the square on his chest symbolizes the material world. The 5-pointed star is a symbol used by many cultures and religions; Christians used it to represent the five wounds Christ suffered on the cross. The 6-pointed stars represent the Seal of Solomon, a common talisman. The 8-pointed star on the crown symbolizes balance, harmony, order, and justice. Carrying a wand or a staff is a mark of authority and we see this with the king's scepter, the bishop's or verger's staff, the mace of Parliament, and, Biblically, with the staff of Moses. I find many similarities between the star-covered canopy with the paper: Celestial Clothing. The two sphinxes being opposing colors and facing different directions represent balance and duality: male and female, light and darkness, life and death, material and spiritual. They also remind us of the pillars of the High Priestess. As one sphinx represents emotions and one intellect, the charioteer must master so they will draw the chariot in one direction. The concept of a "union" is one of the more important messages of the Chariot.